USCG Exam PracticeBoiler and steam propulsion fundamentals
A sudden rise in chloride concentration in boiler water samples is most likely an indication of which condition?
- A. Excessive alkalinity caused by overtreatment with chemical additives
- B. Scale formation from calcium and magnesium hardness salts
- ✓ Seawater contamination, such as from a condenser tube leakCorrect
- D. Dissolved oxygen entering through the deaerating feed tank vent
Why C is correct
NAVEDTRA 14104 §4-5 states that a sudden rise in chlorides warns of seawater contamination — for example a condenser tube leak — which must be found and corrected before it scales and corrodes the boiler. Chlorides are characteristic of seawater intrusion, not alkalinity imbalance, hardness scale, or oxygen ingress.
Cited:NAVEDTRA 14104 §4-5